Encoding and Decoding Method, and Encoding and Decoding Devices with a Two-Stage Error Protection Process

1. A method of streaming media content in the form of a series of data packets transmitted via at least one unidirectional transmission channel comprising: dividing the series of data packets into partial blocks, each being formed from a plurality of successive data packets, and applying a first error protection process to encode each partial block of successive data packets to protect the data packets against transmission errors occurring during streaming of the media content; applying a second error protection process to encode all data packets to protect the data packets against transmission errors occurring during streaming of the media content; receiving first transmitted error protection blocks and applying a first decoding process based upon the first protection blocks corresponding to the first error protection process to a partial block of the data packets and if the partial block contains no errors, providing the partial block for play back of content represented by the partial block; in the event that reconstruction of the data packets of the partial block by applying the first decoding process is unable to provide error-free reconstructed data packets, storing for second decoding processing the data packets instead of playing back content represented by the partial block; and receiving subsequently transmitted second error protection blocks and applying, to the stored data packets, a second decoding process corresponding to the second error protection process based upon the second protection blocks to correct errors.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the following error protection algorithms is used for the first and/or second error protection process: EXOR parity code; Reed-Solomon code; and Low density parity check code.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a characteristic value is created for each data packet by a statistical method, the characteristic value represents an importance of the respective data packet with respect to at least one other data packet, the quantity of data packets for the partial block is selected in such a way that a sum of characteristic values of successive data packets within the respective partial block reaches at least one specifiable threshold.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the quantity of error detection packets in the partial block is determined as a function of a specifiable delay, taking account of a transmission rate, a redundant block length and an error detection packet length.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a characteristic value is created for each data packet by a statistical method, the characteristic value represents an importance of the respective data packet with respect to at least one other data packet, the quantity of data packets for the partial block is selected in such a way that a sum of characteristic values of successive data packets within the respective partial block reaches at least one specifiable threshold.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an error protection block is formed for each partial block, the error protection block having encoded data packets provided with unequal error protection.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein error detection data packets containing important information have more error protection and error detection data packets containing less important information have less error protection.

8. The method as claimed claim 1 , wherein an error protection block is formed for each partial block in such a way that a specifiable number of erroneous error detection packets can be corrected within the error protection block by the first error protection process.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one erroneous error detection packet within an error protection block formed for each partial block can be corrected by the first error protection process.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least two successive erroneous error detection packets within an error protection block formed for each partial block can be corrected by the first error protection process.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a complete error protection block is created by applying the second error protection process in such a way that a greater number of erroneous error detection data packets can be corrected with the second error protection process than with the first error protection process.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a complete error protection block is created by applying the second error protection process in such a way that it has segments formed by reordering error detection packets, each segment being formed such that errors are separately corrected within the segment.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein during the transmission of error protection blocks, the error detection packets are transmitted via a first transmission channel and redundant blocks are transmitted via a second transmission channel.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the error detection packets and the redundant blocks are transmitted in synchronization in such a way that the redundant block of the respective error protection block is present at a receiver not later than a time of reception of a last error detection packet of the respective error protection block.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, play back occurs while partial blocks are being transmitted.

16. A system for streaming media content in the form of a series of data packets transmitted via at least one unidirectional transmission channel comprising: a partial block generator to divide the series of data packets into partial blocks, each being formed from a plurality of successive data packets, and apply a first error protection process to encode each partial block of successive data packets to protect the data packets against transmission errors occurring during streaming of the media content; an encoder to apply a second error protection process to all data packets to protect the data packets against transmission errors occurring during streaming of the media content; a block handler to receive first transmitted error protection blocks and apply a first decoding process based upon the first protection blocks corresponding to the first error protection process to a received partial block of the data packets and if the partial block contains no errors, to provide the partial block for play back of content represented by the partial block, and if reconstruction of the data packets of the partial block by applying the first decoding process is unable to provide error-free reconstructed data packets, reconstructed data packets are provided for storing for second decoding processing instead of for playing back content represented by the partial block; and a decoder to receive subsequently transmitted second error protection blocks and apply, to the stored reconstructed data packets, a second decoding process corresponding to the second error protection process based upon the second protection blocks to correct errors.

17. A decoding device for decoding streaming media content in the form of a series of data packets received via at least one unidirectional transmission channel, the series of data packets comprising a series of partial blocks, comprising: a block handler to receive first transmitted error protection blocks and apply a first decoding process based upon the first protection blocks corresponding to the first error protection process to a received partial block of the data packets and if the partial block contains no errors, to provide the partial blocks for play back of content represented by the partial block, and if reconstruction of the data packets of the partial block by applying the first decoding process is unable to provide error-free reconstructed data packets, reconstructed data packets are provided for storing for second decoding processing instead of for playing back content represented by the partial block; and a storage handler to receive subsequently transmitted second error protection blocks and apply, to the stored reconstructed data packets, a second decoding process corresponding to the second error protection process to correct errors.